Five Time Regressor Walks the King’s Path - Chapter 14
Chapter 14
I was just joking a little to make him feel a little more willing to become a warrior.
Sohon’s eyes gradually wavered, and I smiled with satisfaction.
“Do it. Become a warrior.”
“…Could I really become one?”
“Just try it. You’ve got nothing to lose.”
Believing me, he put a hand against his chest.
His eyes shone like a kid, and I put a hand on his shoulder.
“You are a warrior from now on.”
“Yes.”
“Things might get a bit difficult from now on. Because you have to be strong in order to qualify as a warrior.”
“Yeah. If I become strong like you, Big Bro, my dignity as a delinquent will also increase. It won’t hurt to try, like you said.”
“Let’s go, warrior.”
“Yes.”
So I took Sohon and left the village.
* * *
The day I left the village with Sohon.
On the first day, we hunted for slimes.
Slimes. The lowest level monsters. They were all over the field, and Sohon skillfully swung his sword to defeat them.
It seemed like it wasn’t a lie that he dreamed of becoming a warrior. He was handling the sword much better than I expected.
“That’s pretty good.”
“I’m not called a delinquent for nothing. I have to at least be stronger than the average person. Well, actually, I’ve been swinging the sword every day. It began when I was six, so it’s already been about 20 years.”
When I heard Sohon’s words while we camped out, I smiled.
“Sohon.”
“Yes, Big Bro?”
“Do you know what aura is?”
“Aura? I’ve heard that it’s used by knights.”
That’s a relief. It was the hardest to imagine when you don’t know a single thing about it.
Hearing Sohon’s reply, I raised my hand.
That moment, mana started to gather into my hand. Then with a crackling sound and some sparks, aura covered my hand.
“This…”
Sohon’s eyes widened in surprise.
It looked like he was taken aback by the fact that I could use aura.
“What are you so surprised about? What would become of me if I couldn’t even use aura while trying to make you a warrior?”
“Big Bro, were you a knight in the frontier or something?”
“Think what you like. Anyway, you have to start practicing how to use this going forward.”
“Me? Aura?”
“You are now a warrior aspirant. You think you can defeat the demon king without even using aura?”
With that, I got rid of my aura and stood up.
Then I walked near him and motioned for him to take off his shirt.
Maybe because of me showing him aura, but he did so without hesitation. I stood behind him, and formed aura on my hand again.
“It will tingle a bit. Because my aura attribute is electric.”
I placed my aura-covered hand on his back.
For a moment, Sohon flinched, but soon after his expression relaxed.
This guy…
“Your aura attribute is electric.”
“My attribute?”
“Yes, it’s the same as mine. Normally, a person would frown at the tingling feeling, but you relaxed right away.”
“Oho, having the same attribute as you feels like destiny.”
“Gross. Stop it. For now, let my mana flow down your back. Try to grasp it. It should be easier to do since we have the same aura attribute.”
I slowly poured mana into Sohon.
It was difficult at first to take hold of mana.
That was why Sohon missed the mana I was pouring in every time, and I continued to do so with patience.
“Slowly. Imagine a river. The river does not defy motion. It simply flows toward the sea. You are that sea. A sea that accepts the flowing river.”
An hour passed, and then another.
Sohon showed excellent concentration, and in the end…
He grabbed the edge of mana.
“Good job.”
Sohon jumped at the compliment.
“You became the sea. The sea has waves. Same as mana. Similar to the waves, the mana in your body slowly moves in waves. Slowly. Slowly. That’s how it builds up.”
Little by little, my mana flowed through Sohon.
Sohon grasped the mana and slowly transmitted it throughout his entire body, and I smiled with satisfaction.
“Good.”
Sohon was really a talented guy.
A talent beyond imagination.
Since he’d dreamed of becoming a warrior and swung his sword for so long, mana naturally flowed through Sohon’s body. Thanks to that, the path of mana opened up.
After all, this guy was another chess piece prepared by the Constellation.
“Next is aura. Put your hand out in front of you.”
Perhaps he began to completely place his trust in me, but Sohon did as instructed.
“Your attribute is electric. Gather mana at the tips of your fingers. Then think of static electricity. Static electricity, which sparks so suddenly and briefly. Imagine that forming on your fingertips.”
Sohon followed my instructions and gathered mana at his fingertips.
Of course, the first time didn’t go well.
The mana that gathered disappeared repeatedly, and an anxious look appeared on Sohon’s face.
Unlike mana, aura was quite difficult.
“It’s alright. Take it slow. You have time.”
I gave comforting words, and as if I was really raising a student of my own, I continued to explain it to him.
I gave Sohon another explanation for a while, and he silently tried again and again, when…
Crackle.
A small sound came from Sohon’s fingertips.
It wasn’t much, but Sohon had used aura.
“Big…Bro.”
“Yes. Starting from today, you are an aura user.”
Sohon had begun to use aura.
* * *
The second day.
Sohon practiced using aura for the entire day.
We continued practicing having the aura cover his fingertips and then his sword, and then his whole body.
In the beginning, things were slow, but the more he practiced, the more he became proficient with aura. Soon enough, Sohon was able to apply aura to his sword.
I smiled as I watched the little sparks fly from Sohon’s sword. It was just like when I first learned aura.
“Good. With that, you’ll be able to use it in practice.”
“Aura is really amazing. It’s my first time doing something like this. Big Bro, were you some kind of a warrior from the previous generation? I never thought an average person like me could use this.”
“You punk, it was all you. Your effort made it happen. Now follow me. It’s time for practical experience.”
I headed into the forest, where orcs usually lived, with the punk who loved to flatter.
Just as we entered, we saw an orc hunting a deer to fill its stomach. I questioned Sohon.
“Would you be able to catch it?”
“You mean that orc? Fo sho.”
Look at this guy, which century did he come from?
Anyway, I pointed at the orc.
“Good. I’ll watch you use your aura in combat. Hunt that orc. After that, I’ll point out the places where you’re lacking.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll get to it right away.”
Sohon spoke with enthusiasm and approached the deer-hunting orc.
As if to draw its attention, he stomped his feet loudly. The orc turned to the noisy area.
Grrrowwwl.
The orc let out an intimidating sound.
Orcs were a head taller than humans, and they even had muscular bodies, so Sohon looked relatively tiny next to the monster.
However, Sohon had aura.
Although he was still learning, he definitely had aura.
A moment later, Sohon and the orc collided.
Sohon swung his sword.
Because he dreamed of becoming a warrior before, Sohon skillfully swung his sword against the orc’s club.
Slice!
At that moment, the sword cut cleanly through the orc’s club.
As expected, having and not having aura made a huge difference.
The orc looked taken aback, seeing how he lost his weapon so suddenly. With that opening, Sohon swung his sword again.
The orc’s body was cut by the series of attacks, and the surprised orc sank down to the ground with a thump.
Cuts decorated its chest and tiny sparks crackled around the injuries.
That was the effect of his aura attribute.
“HA!”
Sohon’s final blow pierced the orc’s head.
Three hits. Sohon was able to defeat the orc with just three hits. He had a proud expression.
“Didn’t I do well, Big Bro?”
“Don’t get cocky. You’ve got a ways to go. Applying aura only to the sword isn’t enough. You’ve gotta apply it to your hand as well for it to be stable. If that orc could’ve used aura, you wouldn’t have been able to keep hold of your sword.”
“Big Bro, you’re stingy with compliments.”
“Quiet. First, let’s learn sword techniques. You have my attribute, so you should be able to learn my swordsmanship.”
“Your sword technique?”
“Yea, punk. Watch carefully.”
Techniques I’ve made.
I began to perform the sword techniques I’d perfected over 20 years of regression.
First off, a strong stab using aura. My first sword technique aimed at the opponent’s vital point in the shortest amount of time.
First Form—
Electro Epilepsy.
Lightning sparked and stabs continued in the air.
Sohon flinched, trying to follow the blurred stabs, but only afterimages were left in midair.
It looked like lightning was rushing by with the endlessly unfolding sword dance.
Second Form—
Lightning Death Blow.
Lightning after lightning.
I used this second technique for the first time when I earned my designated name, Lightning Emperor.
The endless sword dance unfolded and afterimages of lightning wrapped around me.
And finally, the sword returned to its scabbard.
I closed my eyes and breathed lightly.
On my hand gripping the sword, mana formed at the fingertips, and small electrical waves gushed out of the scabbard.
Third Form—
Lightning Sword Extraction.
Crackle.
A small spark sounded and the space around it distorted.
I was using the fastest striking technique.
The third technique, Lightning Sword Extraction
Heavenly Star Sword stepped in.
The sword was pulled toward my body and my left leg was stretched out wide in front of me.
Aura was deeply embedded around the entire sword.
Like a spring, my body leaned back a bit. Then, mana formed at the tips of my toes.
BANG.
My left foot stepped down hard.
Fourth Form—
Heavenly Thunder Dragon.
Aura exuded from the sword.
The aura of lightning became a dragon, and the dragon swallowed everything, seeking to devour its surroundings.
In an instant, the afterimage of the dragon disappeared into a line of lightning, and I caught my breath.
I pointed my sword up into the air.
As the aura wrapped around the tip of the sword, I lowered the sword in a half-moon shape.
Fifth Form—
Intangible Lightning Death.
The world split in half.
And from that split, lightning bolts crackled.
After showcasing the five sword techniques, I slowly lowered the Heavenly Star Sword and looked back at the astonished Sohon.
Thankfully, it seemed as if he had followed my sword techniques with his eyes.
I was glad that I slowed down my sword techniques.
“Big Bro, are you really not a warrior?”
He dealt with swords for a long time, so it looked like he could somewhat guess my level.
Sohon rubbed away the goosebumps from his arms.
Watching that, I returned the Heavenly Star Sword to its sheath and spoke.
“This is where you have to reach. Of course, I don’t expect you to master everything, but at least until the Third Form.”
“Y-yes! I will do it! I will definitely succeed!”
Sohon eagerly nodded his head.
It was worthwhile to show him my sword techniques.
“Now it’s your turn.”
“Yes!”
And that marked the beginning of Sohon’s practice in sword techniques.
“The First Form, Electro Epilepsy, is stabbing with the fastest speed. Lightning-like stabs always target the opponent’s vitals. Remembering this alone will help you crush any opponent’s vital points.”
To begin with, the continued teaching of the First Form, Electro Epilepsy.
“The Second Form, Lightning Death Blow, is an endless sword dance. It’s useful when dealing with multiple opponents. Endless amounts of lightning have to be produced. The better you can handle aura, the longer you can prolong it. It’s also a sword technique that can cut 10,000 people.”
Then the teaching of the Second Form, Lightning Death Blow.
“The Third Form, Lightning Sword Extraction, stands at the top of preemptive strikes in any situation. The opponent will be hit, not expecting the strike that can behead them. Embed aura into the inner surface of the scabbard. Suppress it. Then you will be able to draw the sword in an instant with the speed of lightning.”
And lastly, my teaching ended with the Third Form, Lightning Sword Extraction.